Fatal crashes involving drivers who have recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug, according to latest research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
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In 2014, the first year that marijuana was legally sold for recreational use in Washington, 17 percent of drivers in fatal crashes tested positive for THC, up from 8.3 percent in 2013, when recreational marijuana was legal to possess but not to grow or sell.
As a result, drivers who are unsafe may be going free while others may be wrongly convicted, the foundation said.
So, in a year, the number of drivers with recent marijuana use involved in a fatal crash went from 38 to 75.
Jennifer Cook, spokeswoman for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, says the study was conducted using accident data from Washington state.
The AAA researchers recommend training police officers with special techniques to determine whether a driver is too impaired by marijuana, like screening for pupil dilation, tongue color, certain behaviors, and more.
Some weed users with a long history using the drug build up a tolerance and may not be impaired even with a high level of THC in their system.
In a statement, Kevin Bakewell, Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said “our advice is that nobody should drive after recent marijuana use, and law enforcement should have a fair and educated approach for dealing with those who do”.
“Across the board we hear stories of people who have been affected not just by alcohol but by poly-use so when alcohol and drugs are both used”.
Sgt. Cox said the standard field sobriety tests are created to detect impaired drivers whether they’re impaired on alcohol or medications or illegal drugs.
Some drivers may be impaired when they are stopped by police, but by the time their blood is tested they have fallen below the legal threshold because active THC dissipates rapidly. As things stand, relying on blood THC levels could allow some seriously wasted people to get back in their cars and drive away, a danger to themselves and others.
“With what little information we have, typically we know that most people are below that per se, that five nanograms, within three to four hours after consuming marijuana”, she said.
According to the study, the AAA Foundation announced that the percentage of drivers involved in Wash.
The problem is that determining whether someone is impaired by marijuana, as opposed to having merely used the drug, is far more complex than the simple and reliable tests that have been developed for alcohol impairment.
“Marijuana can affect driver safety by impairing vehicle control and judgement”, continued Mr. Raposa.
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Six states have approved similar blood-THC standards, and California lawmakers are under pressure to offer some guidelines to law enforcement as it appears voters will be weighing a November initiative that seeks to legalize recreational pot. In Colorado, a blood concentration of at least 5ng/mL means it’s likely someone was driving under the influence of the drug. Its mission is to prevent crashes and save lives through research and education about traffic safety.
